Eight Immortals
The Eight Immortals were a group of nomadic humans who traversed the Spirit Wilds during the time before the Avatar, when mankind lived in walled cities and constant fear of spiritual matters. They are heavily regarded as brave individuals whose desire for freedom incited many to follow in their tracks. Unfortunately, the Eight Immortals vanished into legends passed down by mankind's descendants. But they managed to survive in the Spirit Wilds and even discover a new method of combatting malicious spirits. They created a technique that was born from understanding the spiritual realm, the realm of man, and the power born within oneself as well as the connected bridges. Eventually the Eight Immortals served as guardians for mankind, protecting unknowing humans who ended up lost in the Spirit Wilds. They lived by a set of tenants which kept them safe from power hungry, envious humans and malicious spirits. In order to retain balance, the Eight Immortals refrained from taking disciples; fearing that mankind would use their newfound power to disrupt an energy best left alone. The Eight Immortals would travel from forest to forest unhindered, enjoying a freedom unbeknownst to the human heart. Only with each other did they thrived for over a century, stopping by various human settlements to provide services. After nearly two centuries of survival, they witnessed the creation of the first Avatar. When he decided to separate the two realms, the Eight Immortals had already reached spiritual enlightenment. They felt that they could never return to the material realm and live among humans who were ignorant children compared to them. So they simply ascended and left their physical bodies, choosing to remain in the realm of spirits. Afterwards, the Eight Immortals settled in Mount Penglai where they would partake in an eternal banquet and enjoy peace; undisturbed by humanity for centuries. The Eight Immortals exist mostly in legend, with only a few humans actually encountering them. One being the great general Iroh, who learned of spiritual ascension from them. History During the era before the first Avatar, the spirit world and human world were intricately linked together. Surrounding human settlements were deep forest and mountains infested with both benevolent and malevolent spirits. Regardless of their nature, the spirits feared humans just as much as the humans feared them. The only difference being that the spirits possessed powers and abilities beyond human capabilities. Among the humans were beings who could manipulate their inner energies as well as the spirit aura of the two worlds. However, they were few among many; nowhere near enough to actually form a force against the spirits and their natural habitat. So the humans were forced to confine themselves upon the shells of massive Lion Turtles; who would also grant them temporary command over elements. The Eight Immortals were originally eight human monks who possessed a beautiful friendship since childhood. Dongbin, the eldest, was a monk of extraordinary martial prowess. With his friends being close in might and wisdom, they would regularly traverse the spirit wilds. But their burning desire for true freedom was originally a flickering flame. The occasional small conversation regarding the fantasy of a world where humans could live without fear; one that would allow humans to connect with one another and form massive utopias. Unfortunately the city was overtaken by a plague which stemmed from a mysterious flower in the spirit wilds. It was spreading rapidly, killing both vegetation and humans alike. The elder shaman heard tales of the plague from a traveling nomad whose own settlement was destroyed by it. Although the nomad had contracted it, he managed to find the remedy to cure it. Now his journey meant traveling from city to city, warning the populace of humans about the deadly sickness. With knowledge of the ingredients and their whereabouts, the shaman only needed to send forth some able citizens to seek them. Soldiers volunteered, accepted the gift of waterbending, and embarked on the trip with high hopes. But they met an untimely end at the fearsome spirits. Three search groups failed to return, believably sealing the doom of the city. The eight friends decided that sitting around in meditation only meant death. How long till the plague reaches them or an evil ocean spirit decides to attack the human settlement? While the three groups had left, the eight friends began to experiment with the gathered knowledge of inner energy. Scrolls upon scrolls, a massive library dedicated to the relationship of Chi and the spiritual realm. Soon, they learned to manipulate this energy to attack the spiritual realm. At first the practice was simple. Vegetation and flora of the spirit wilds regenerated when cut using normal human weaponry. However, weapons imbued with spiritual energy managed to kill the spiritual flora permanently. The friends also realized that items with great importance to the user left a certain influence. These items were regarded as their most important and ranged from a variety of objects. Future scholars compared these objects to the item selection method airbenders used to determine Avatars. The spiritual connection the eight monks had to their material object formed the perfect bridge into the physical realm. These items became regarded as Fǎqì (法器), required tools for one to utilize and master the Covert Eight Immortal Style. With their newfound powers, the Eight Monks departed to gather enough ingredients to cure the village. The length of their journey ranged from a few hears to a couple decades. Their mastery over Chi and the spiritual energy allegedly slowed their aging. And their newfound spiritual powers proved deadly to spirits. They could tame malicious beast and utterly destroy monsters. Regardless, the quest was a success and they managed to bring enough ingredients to not only create a cure but erase the plague from the city permanently. Hailed as heroes, they were called the Eight Hermits of ... . Unfortunately, the Eight Hermits had drawn attached to the unequalled freedom and acquired knowledge one inherits while traveling. Spending the rest of their life in a walled city on a giant shell broke their hearts. Instead they chose to spread their influence among the world, to travel through the spirit wilds and assist troubled humans. They would become the guardians of humanity. Humans of various settlements regarded them as gods, goddesses and saviors while spirits feared their power. But above all else, the Eight Hermits were friends whose relationship was their greatest strength. They sung, danced and are together every night for over a century and spent every minute together. Their adventures across the world were filled with monsters, beast, demons as well as horrific odds. But they prevailed for as long as they had each other they would fight onwards. Nevertheless, the Eight Hermits were not vengeful beings either. They befriended spirits and helped settle spiritual matters as well. Members *Dongbin *Xiangzi *Caihe *Guojiu *Xiangu *Tieguai *Guolao *Zhongli Trivia *